Bob Monkhouse dies

Bob Monkhouse, the king of television comedy, died today after a long battle against cancer. He was 75.

The veteran comedian, whose showbusiness career spanned more than half a century, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in September 2001.

Ever the showman, he continued to work on a new series of the popular daytime quiz Wipeout, as well as a number of one-off shows.

The former Family Fortunes host died in his sleep in the early hours at home in the village of Eggington, Bedfordshire, where he lived with his second wife Jackie. His manager of 38 years, Peter Prichard OBE, said: "Everybody is grieving. It is very, very sad news."

The TV career of one of Britain's bestloved entertainers began in 1947, when he appeared with comic partner Denis Goodwin. Though regarded by some as smarmy, Monkhouse saw a revival in his career during the last 10 years, winning a new generation of fans and the respect of younger comics. "He was the doyen of English comedy... accepted by the fans and by other performers as one of the greats. He was the guv'nor," said Mr Prichard.

Famed for his quick wit and ready oneliners, Monkhouse became one of Britain's highest-paid TV stars, and was awarded the OBE in 1993 for his services to showbusiness.

He even managed to joke about his disease, saying last year: "I call it the Taliban because it's the enemy within. Basically my prostate exploded like a firework and distributed the Taliban throughout my system."

After vowing not to let illness halt his career, he said last year: "I've responded to treatment incredibly well. My recovery has been dramatic and I'm ready to go back to work."

Monkhouse's TV shows included The Golden Shot - which at its peak had 16 million viewers - Opportunity Knocks and Bob's Full House. He also acted in the Carry On films.

Last year Monkhouse was back on stage for the Royal Variety Performance where he got the biggest cheer of the night. In March, he received a five-minute standing ovation from fellow entertainers at an awards show and BBC1 screened a special on his 56-year TV career in October.

When his joke books containing his gag collection were stolen in 1995 it was headline news, with huge interest in the public appeal and a £10,000 reward offered for their return. He got them back a year later.

Monkhouse, an acknowledged expert on the early cinema, lived in a 16th century farmhouse. He married Jackie, his former secretary in 1973. The couple spent much of their time at their second home in Barbados.

Monkhouse s u f f e r e d deeply after the death of his son, Simon, from a heroin overdose in a £1-a-night Thai guesthouse in 2001. Simon, a teacher, had a history of depression. Monkhouse's other son, Gary, who suffered from cerebral palsy, died in 1993.

The comic also suffered a setback in his fight against illhealth when he broke a collarbone in a fall in October.

Born in 1928, the young Monkhouse spent his spare time at home in Beckenham writing gags and drawing cartoons. He published his first cartoon when he was 12, and sold a joke to his hero, Max Miller, for five shillings when he was 15.

By the time he left Dulwich College at 17 he had a thriving cottage industry as a gagwriter, cartoonist and purveyor of pulp fiction.

After national service in the RAF, he conned his way into the BBC - by duping an Army psychiatrist into signing a letter requesting an audition, on the grounds that it would be the only cure for Corporal Monkhouse's delusional psychosis. The fledgling comedian was soon appearing on radio and TV as "the British Bob Hope, for whom he had originally written jokes.

He learned Yiddish to get Jewish function bookings and joined all three political parties to get their bookings. By the time he was 27 he was a star.

He married first wife Elizabeth at 21, but had several affairs - including one with Diana Dors - and the marriage quickly went sour - although the couple stayed together until 1966. As well as two sons, they had an adopted daughter, Abigail, who gave him two granddaughters.

A le g endary drinke r Monkhouse would consume two bottles of wine and half a bottle of whisky a day, including "a large one" before going on stage. He was often self-deprecating and admitted he was not an original comic genius. "All I have is a perky mind," he said. "I'm superficial."

His autobiography, Crying With Laughter, rejuvenated his career in 1993. "People who hadn't noticed me or who had written me off as a gameshow host started to reassess me. Suddenly I was in fashion again and reaching new people. I wouldn't know what to do if I retired anyway."